1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector having a waterproof function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-281370 discloses a connector having a waterproof function and a vibration preventing function. The connector has female and male housings that fit together. The female housing has a terminal accommodation part for accommodating female terminal fittings therein and a protection cylindrical part surrounding the terminal accommodation part. The male housing has a cylindrical part that surrounds the tabs of male terminal fittings. The cylindrical part of the male housing can be inserted into the gap between the terminal accommodation part and the protection cylindrical part of the female housing. A seal ring for waterproofing is mounted on the rear end of the peripheral surface of the terminal accommodation part. A loosening prevention member is mounted forward from the seal ring for preventing loosening of the housings. A gap between the terminal accommodation part and the cylindrical part is filled with the loosening prevention member to prevent the housings from loosening radially.
The seal ring and the loosening prevention member of the above-described connector contact the cylindrical part of the male housing. Therefore the seal ring applies an outward stress to the cylindrical part. There is a possibility that the cylindrical part will deform and open outward if both housings remain fit together for a long time. Additionally, the cylindrical part will deform readily if the housings are left in a high-temperature environment. There is a fear that a gap will be generated between the cylindrical part and the loosening prevention member if the cylindrical part deforms and opens outward. In this case, the loosening prevention member is incapable of sufficiently displaying its loosening prevention function.
The loosening prevention portion of the above-described connector is a separate part from the female housing. Therefore there is a possibility that the loosening prevention portion may deviate from the position of the terminal accommodation part while mounting the loosening prevention portion on the terminal accommodation part. Thus there is a possibility that the loosening prevention portion will not display its loosening prevention function.
The loosening prevention portion could be formed integrally with the terminal accommodation part of the female housing in an effort to prevent the above-described problem from occurring. However, the peripheral surface of the terminal accommodation part of the female housing is curved to mount a seal ring thereon. In forming the loosening prevention portion integrally with the peripheral surface of the terminal accommodation part, it is difficult to control the accuracy of a projected amount of the loosening prevention portion with respect to the peripheral surface of the terminal accommodation part and thus it is difficult to allow the loosening prevention portion to display its loosening prevention function.
The invention has been completed in view of the above-described situation. Therefore it is an object of the invention to provide a connector having a loosening prevention function.